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The second installment of Dakota Krout's best-selling Completionist Chronicles series!

After the encounter at the Mage's College, Joe's name has become well-known in Eternia. While the majority of his guild is ecstatic over the bonuses that he brings them, not everyone is pleased with his rising influence. In fact, someone has been spreading rumors that Joe is unbalanced, sacrificing comrades for personal power.


As a result, Joe is forced to recruit a team of misfits and discovers that their unique abilities complement his own. With their assistance, Joe moves forward with his plans to specialize into a more powerful version of his Ritualist class. But when the dust settles, he will be forced to ask himself a simple question: was it his actions that lit the fires of war?

421 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2018

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About the author

Dakota Krout

57 books2,769 followers
Author of the best-selling Divine Dungeon, Completionist Chronicles, and Full Murderhobo series, Dakota Krout was chosen as Audible's top 5 fantasy pick of 2017, has been a top 5 bestseller on Amazon, and a top 6 bestseller on Audible.

He draws on his experience in the military to create vast terrains and intricate systems, and his history in programming and information technology helps him bring a logical aspect to both his writing and his company while giving him a unique perspective for future challenges.

Publishing my stories has been an incredible blessing thus far, and I hope to keep you entertained for years to come! -Dakota Krout

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5 stars
6,372 (58%)
4 stars
3,324 (30%)
3 stars
978 (8%)
2 stars
176 (1%)
1 star
65 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews
Profile Image for Bradley.
Author 5 books4,600 followers
February 27, 2021
Funny title, but slightly misleading.

I mean, sure, a few kings are killed in this fun LitRPG, but to be fair, the true plot doesn't really have anything to do with it.

The one real reason anyone should be coming to this book, or this series, is the sheer, unadulterated joy you have when leveling up. It's all about skills mastery, finding some of the most obscure arcane quests, and getting on a war footing with a ton of low-level player characters that includes a full war.

Oh, I love LitRPG. It's what Ready Player One could have been if we had gotten rid of all the whining and focused on RPG game nostalgia rather than '80s nostalgia. Fortunately, these extremely fun books make up for all that by being pure candy.

All those years of playing RPG games are finally returning dividends.
Profile Image for Mark.
276 reviews27 followers
July 4, 2022
I really enjoyed this continuation of the Completionist Chronicles. The pacing is fantastic, the story is interesting and engaging, the characters are fun.

The one issue I had repeatedly with this book is the continuous homophobia. Yeah, this is a videogame world and few people other than Republicans are more homophobic than MMORPGers. But the first part of the book is peppered with CAL sending homophobic remarks to Joe in his status updates. It fortunately slows down a lot, but it continues to be an issue throughout the book and it really bothered me.

Without the homophobia, this is a solid 4+ star book, but I can't rate it over 3 with this content.

Additional, since I've gotten a lot of hateful comments: if all you have to say is "I don't see any homophobia" don't bother commenting unless you're gay. I don't give a fuck about your opinion, it's not relevant :-P

EDIT: I have reread the book and found 9 items which are specific homophobic, 7 of which are in status updates from CAL. I believe that all of them are in the first half of the book.
Profile Image for David Harbour.
40 reviews15 followers
July 16, 2018
An absolute joy to read. I haven't had this much fun with a book in ages!

This series is one of my all time favorites in the LitRPG genre. Dakota has succeeded where a lot of authors in this genre and failed for me personally. It is so much fun to be able to progress through stories with characters I have "connected" with. Thanks Dakota!
Profile Image for Steve Naylor.
2,113 reviews132 followers
June 20, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars

Re-listened June 2019. Initial review below

This is turning into a very good series. If there were a beginner, intermediate and advanced level of LitRPG book I would put this into the late intermediate to Advanced level. That means that while this book is still fun, the technical aspects of LitRPG are heavily featured. There is a lot of talk about mana manipulation and how much mana a spell will cost based on the magic users affinity and skill. So, a lot of math and a lot of technical explanations. If you are looking for a simple adventure that is low in technical jargon, this is not the book for you. I actually really like the limitations with our main character. In other books the main characters always level up at an insane pace. They are always put in charge, create parties or lead groups. The main character in this book, Joe, is advanced in some aspects of the game (wisdom, intelligence, perception), but is way behind the other characters in other aspects (the ones most people in the game really value - strength, constitution, stamina). He does a lot of research and reads a lot of books and while what he does ends up being extremely useful and powerful, he is not considered powerful in the game. He does not want to be in charge. He does get his own party of misfits in the game, but that is more because he is a clan officer and can't join another team, so he has to lead his own. He wants the best of both worlds, he wants to be able to do what he thinks is best and help the clan, but doesn't want to take responsibility for it. His methods are so unconventional, nobody knows how to act around him. He is revered in the clan and at the same time looked down upon .



Overall I loved the book and the series up till now and am disappointed I have to wait so long for the next book to come out (I don't even know if there is a next book planned yet!).
Profile Image for Soo.
2,851 reviews337 followers
March 18, 2021
01/06/2019 Mini-Review - Mix of Kindle & Audio:

5 Stars for Narration by Vikas Adam

The follow up novel was not as strong as the first book because it did not have a nice balance between story progression and character development. Part of the fun of following Joe around in this particular Virtual Reality were his interactions within the game. All the build up made with his initial hunting group are gone and you watch Joe fumbling about as he creates a new group. Joe isn't a good "leader" and that is shown clearly in this book. A lot has happened in a short amount of time. I think there needs to be a span of time between this book and the next where Joe does a lot of small stuff that readers can learn about in a short summary vs copious detail.

I'm still loving the details that are the foundations of the series.
Profile Image for Jacob Proffitt.
3,212 reviews1,973 followers
December 27, 2022
This is second in a LitRPG series that builds . . . everything over the course of the series. Read in order.

Yes, you know what you're getting. This has a lot more guild stuff with the Wanderers becoming a "Noble Guild" and branching out into their own space/city. The guild things were incredibly realistic to me, having been involved with MMORPG guilds before. The management and harboring of unity for a group of people with varying degrees of commitment and different reasons for playing/joining. I like that Krout only hints at those things under the surface, though, because Joe is largely outside those concerns.

I particularly liked Joe's interactions with the guild leader, Aten. This books goes through some ups and downs there, and I thought that was extremely well-done.

And I liked even better the big conflict with the wolfmen and how that played out, along with the eventual fallout with world-changing effect. And when the great conflict is over and .

Anyway, this was a good five stars, but I'll say that you have to have a high tolerance for the LitRPG side of things since Krout includes a lot of the mathiness that optimizers of MMORPGs exploit to do their thing. Joe is very much that kind of player.

A note about Chaste: We're on the periphery of a couple that forms in Joe's adventuring party in this one. And it's implied, strongly, that that involves sex. But there's none of that on the page, so I consider this very chaste.
Profile Image for Billy Munich.
28 reviews11 followers
November 8, 2018
I’ve been reading this book at a painfully slow pace as they were released on Dakota’s Patreon (it just felt painfully slow). The wait between chapters has been UNBEARABLE! I could bearly wait to read the whole thing! I wanted to just go into hibernation until the book finaly came out. Everyone that I talk to on a regular basis was extremely tired of listing to me go on and on about it. It was embearassing!

This installment moves forward with Joe’s story as he tries to get his bearings in Eternium. It continues his quest for knowledge and introduces some fun and quirky new characters. Definitely a strong entry in the series.
Please note: The bear puns in the book are a lot better than mine.
Profile Image for Kyte.
41 reviews5 followers
January 13, 2019
What an awesome book. I can't remember the last book that made me hearthly laugh for minutes, tremble in anger with the Hero and fever with him on all the quite diverse Adventures he experiences.

The only mood points i have is that the Protagonist now feels way overpowered with all the secret and super rare stuff he has. And I am taken a bit aback that we do not see what our Heros Rewards were after the Final Battle. I hate that. its like a Cliffhanger.

Also, with not even 400 Pages, its rather short. i finished within a day.

Profile Image for Carina.
272 reviews5 followers
January 22, 2023
So obviously I love LitRPGs, didn't know that last week, but here I am excitedly waiting for the 3rd and 4th audio book coming in autumn.
Profile Image for Patrick Duffy.
25 reviews1 follower
August 30, 2018
A great read would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of litrpg and fantasy in general. very unique group of characters that have sometimes funny to read about personality traits was a blast to read and even brought a few good laughs at times.
Profile Image for Russell Gray.
582 reviews101 followers
October 16, 2020
This was a good addition to the developing litrpg storyline following Joe and the array of quirky people he interacts with in game. I look forward to seeing to what degree everything eventually connects with the author's other series, The Divine Dungeon.

While I like the fact that these stories are potentially and likely connected, I also can't help but notice my use of that fact as a slight crutch of enjoyment while reading this series. Don't get me wrong, the story is good and bears many hallmarks that I associate with the author that made him so popular in the first place. But the one thing I struggle with a little in this story is the lack of stakes. I personally didn't connect with any particular motivation that the characters had when dealing with the present-day plot points.

Knowing the connection with the Divine Dungeon gives me some hope and expectation of developments to the big picture, but otherwise everything seemed fairly breezy and almost falling victim to the witty banter and light humor that I would otherwise say is one of the strongest characteristics of the writing.

The one moment that felt very real to me involved an interpersonal interaction that Joe has with someone and the reaction he has to the other person's behavior was very visceral and to me this scene had more bite to it than anything else even during the more climatic moments of the story.

Maybe it was just my mood, (sometimes a guy just wants what a guy wants) but I would have liked a few more scenes that provided a serious tone that wasn't slightly undercut by humor. Overall, I still enjoyed reading this and I would say it continues to be one of the best reads in the genre. I look forward to the next entry in the series and would encourage readers to check this series out as well as Dakota's other works.
Profile Image for Ian Mitchell.
9 reviews2 followers
July 19, 2018
Just outstanding.

Mr krout weaves magic, mayhem and mirth into a gripping and brilliant narrative. I couldn't put it down, but still found myself trying to deliberately slow down to savour every moment.

The puns are terrible... but an essential part of the story... smile and move on at the puns.
July 17, 2018
Caution: Puns

Why must you torture me so Dakota? Puns? Puns!

Another great installment of the Ritualist series, interesting new characters and plot continuance. Looking forward to seeing what happens with the cool new toys Joe
accumulated.
58 reviews
July 19, 2018
Better than the first

The first book was great. This book is better. Can’t wait for the next one. Once this book gets an audiobook version I’ll get the first one and second one on audible.
568 reviews22 followers
December 4, 2018
Fresh and fun. I didn't care much for the dungeon core series but this is great.
Profile Image for Atlas.
777 reviews35 followers
August 28, 2018
* * * *
4 / 5

~mini review~


Pretty much the only disappointing thing about Regicide was the lack of characters from Ritualist. Joe's old team is disbanded and the only really familiar face in this book is Aten; on the plus side, Joe's new team which includes a strongly accented Skald, a Monk, a duelist, and a girl with a lot of poisons, is a lot of fun.

It's good that I read Regicide straight after Ritualist because there is a lot of interlinking between them! All those unfinished quests from Ritualist, all those little hints from Tatum and the system are made important as Joe advances through the levels and gets to grips with his class. There's so much cool new game-related stuff including new rituals, skill combinations, new classes, getting thrown in prison, and a full-scale human vs wolf-people war.

Regicide was a funny, entertaining, enthralling read from beginning to end and I can't wait until the next one. In the meantime I'm going to go and try her other series!

Read more of my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com
66 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2018
WOW.... another fantastically written book by a great author

I picked this book up this morning and couldnt put it down until I finished it. What a truly amazing adventure.

The plot was awesomely done in this story and pulls you through the whole thing keeping you engaged and on the edge of your seat until the last page.....

There was so much development along character lines and the story just wow. I can't say enough how much I loved the story and will be eagerly awaiting the next one.

Joe definitely comes into his own in this addition to the series and really starts to branch out and become who he really is meant to be.

Lots of action a d harrowing adventures await inside this book. So jump in and be swept away in this amazing novel.

I will gladly be telling everyone I know of to get this book and read it because it's as amazing as any of his other ones.
Profile Image for Christopher.
1,206 reviews38 followers
December 10, 2023
Level-up? Eh. A slightly less satisfying follow-up.

Krout's "Regicide" is the second in his LitRPG "Completionist Chronicles" where a paraplegic US Army medic gets digitized into a game world and decides he wants to experience EVERYTHING the game has to offer. While the first novel had a decent enough introduction to the game, its quests and mechanics -- this second novel kind of meanders a bit.

Joe finds a new party, develops his skills, but the overall plot (preparing for a war against the Wolfmen?) feels tacked on and the events on the ground rarely act in service of the plot.

That being said, I'm not reading these for deep characterization -- these are fun because Joe just discovered a +4 Wizard's Staff that grants him .25 modifier on all spells cast against non-humans -- tell me more.

Isn't that what literature is all about?
Profile Image for Lyndon.
108 reviews5 followers
July 18, 2018
I read the first one quick...

But I just consumed this one in one sitting. This book has an effect on me that I wasn't expecting. I got so into the story that at one point when the MC was angry at a situation my heartbeat increased and my adrenaline started pumping right alongside him... I've never experienced that before from a book and that surprised me.

In my review for the first book I stated this was my favorite type of LitRPG and that continues into this book. Absolutely stellar writing, great editing, and a story that kept me awake way later than I could really afford to be.

I sincerely look forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Tyler.
125 reviews
July 18, 2018
Always satisfied

Dakota continues to impress. Always entertaining to read with the humor and action crafty ideas mixing into a story like mine I've read before. The only series matching his is NEO and The Land simply because they all weave a story so well and make a great setting for multiple novels. I look forward to Dakota's future stories in both his current series and anything else he might imagine.
Profile Image for Mike Goodman.
1,380 reviews10 followers
July 18, 2018
Absolutely Fantastic

This story was a very entertaining interesting fast paced action packed thrilling story that I really enjoyed reading. The story of a guy who is a totally weird in a guild who doesn't realize that he is their golden goose, and gets a reality check when he leaves them is great. I loved that the Author finished this story but left it open for more adventures.
149 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2018
Loved it

Honestly was a great read that I ended up staying up late way too many times in order to read in my spare time. I love the character development and I also love that he actually gives his enemies payback that they deserve.
Profile Image for Paul Friday.
1 review
July 17, 2018
I LOVE THIS SERIES

I do not often write reviews on books because I am constantly reading and would probably run out of things to say, eventually repeating myself. That would get tedious very fast. However, this book has broken my silence and I must say that it is quite a read. It is unusual and refreshing in its genre. If you have not read the first book, you will not be disappointed. If you have, (Awesome! {^•^} ) this next book continues the intrigued and adventure.
Profile Image for Stephen.
75 reviews
July 18, 2018
Yet another enjoyable book feom Dakota Krout

Really dig the main character Joe. He is well written, as are the rest of his companions. Dakota Krout knows how to SHOW the reader a vivid image of his world, while filling it with likable characters and exciting adventures. Book 3 better come soon!
13 reviews1 follower
July 18, 2018
Excellent Series!

This is definitely one of my favorite LitRPG series. I won’t bog this review down with critiques of the various pieces that make up the whole. I loved the story, characters and world. If you like “the Land”, “Viridian Gate Online”, or “Ascend Online”, then this is definitely worth checking out!
Profile Image for Jonathan.
534 reviews
July 19, 2018
So good

Sigh. Why do good books have to end? Seriously! A wonderful read and an improvement on the first. I highly recommend you read this series.

Now just have to wait impatiently for the next book... ;-)
July 17, 2018
Top class novel

Excellent pacing, breastfeeding and immersive story. Another great one by Dakota Krout. Hoping for the series to continue at this level.
207 reviews4 followers
July 17, 2018
So good

I read this title in one sitting and hot damn if I'm not ready for more. Great book and amazing job Dakota!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews

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